4 Ways to Protect Your Home from a Break-In

As a homeowner, there are few things more terrifying than the thought of an intruder breaking into your home. While breaking and entering isn’t the most common occurrence, it does happen, and you should take precautions to prevent it from happening to you.

Generally, with a break-in, the intruder is searching for valuables that are small and easy to take with them. Though in some cases, burglars will case neighborhoods and monitor the normal comings and goings of residents to determine when they can get away with larger valuables like TVs or even cars.

The following list is a compilation of some of the best ways to avoid being the victim of a break-in. Obviously, every home, neighborhood, and situation is different, but these are general precautions that you can take to keep your home safe.

Install a Security System – This seems like an obvious one, but you would be surprised at how many homes in America still don’t have a security system. Most modern home security systems give you an amazing amount of control over your home, and often allow you to control your settings from your phone or other device, so you don’t even have to be at home to make sure that everything is safe. In many cases just displaying the sign of your security company prominently in front of your home is enough to scare off any would-be burglars.

Security Window Film – If you are worried about your windows being broken as a way into your home, there are specialty window films available that make it incredibly difficult to break through your windows. Security window film from 3M is incredibly tough, and causes glass to chip away in small pieces, making it nearly impossible to bash a hole that’s big enough to get through. Most break-ins happen in a matter of minutes, and if a burglar is met with a time-consuming roadblock, they will often give up and flee rather than possibly be caught.

Put Up Deterrents – There are plenty of more cost effective ways to deter possible burglars as well. Fake security cameras that feature a blinking red light have shown to be incredibly effective as a security measure. Even if they aren’t functional, most people aren’t willing to risk being caught on camera. You can also put up a Beware of Dog sign or another similar sign. Those don’t work on everybody, but in many cases an intruder will think twice if they think that a dog might give them away or attack them. With a little creativity, you can think of lots of great ways to make a potential burglar think twice about breaking into your home.

Keep Your Curtains Drawn – I’m not saying that you need to keep your home like a cave to prevent a break-in, but it doesn’t hurt to keep your curtains closed during the day when nobody is home. For starters, it keeps prying eyes from assessing what kinds of valuables you might have. It also makes it hard to tell if anyone is home or not, and in many cases that alone is enough to keep a potential burglar at bay.

In many cases, burglars are only going to attempt a break-in on houses that seem the easiest. As soon as there is any risk involved with a targeted house, an intruder is going to think twice. For many small time criminal types, the risk of getting caught severely outweighs anything they might find in your home. Simply being aware and staying smart about your home security can thoroughly increase your chances of deterring a break-in.